INNfo
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Volume 2, Issue 4
PAII News & Announcements: Board CEO Search
& Shareholders Meeting
PAII Board Meets to Form CEO Search Committee
The PAII Board of Directors met in New Jersey last week. Agenda items
for the meeting included approving the final budget for 2007, setting
up a meeting schedule for the year, and reviewing the various activities
and programs of the association. Foremost on their list was finding a
new President for PAII. Chairwoman Debrah Mosimann appointed Dan Brown,
(Swift House Inn) to head the newly formed CEO Search Committee. Dan will
be assisted by PAII co-founder Jo Ann Bell, John Felton (One Main B&B),
and AnneMarie DeFreest (Inn at the Round Barn Farm). The Search Committee
has already met to review the CEO job description and to create a plan
for finding suitable candidates. Information regarding the position is
now available on the PAII website at www.paii.org/CEOSearch.asp.
The Board urges you to pass this information on to anyone that you think
has the qualifications to lead the association going forward.
DIA Shareholders Meet in Philadelphia
Approximately 20 shareholders of the Distinguished Inns Alliance (DIA)
came to Philadelphia last week for their annual meeting. DIA is PAII's
parent company and all of its shareholders are affiliated with the innkeeping
community in some way. The shareholders spent the morning hearing presentations
regarding PAII and its activities from former PAII Chairman Hugh Daniels,
Chairwoman Debrah Mosimann, and President Pam Horovitz. The Philadelphia
location made it possible for shareholders to cross the river and visit
the PAII office in Haddon Heights, NJ. The PAII staff appreciated having
the opportunity to meet shareholders, many for the first time. We all
thank them for their support of the industry.
PAII Membership
Minutes: Hire an Interim Innkeeper While at Convention
If you plan to attend the 2007 PAII Convention in Myrtle Beach
and want to use the services of an Interim Innkeeper to keep your inn
open, see the list of PAII
Member Interim Innkeepers for resources.
2007 PAII Convention
March 26-29
Myrtle Beach, SC
www.paiiconvention.org
PAII Forum Digest:
PAII
CEO,
Valentine's Day, &
More
If you have not had time to log on to the Forum
located in the Members
Only section of www.paii.org,
here are some of the interesting topics that have been discussed this
past week.
PAII CEO
We will all miss Pam Horovitz. She has taken this organization
to a higher level. She will be hard to replace, but that said, I have
trust that the board will be working hard in replacing the position soon.
Valentine's Day
The good news is that the next big B&B holiday is Valentine's Day.
The bad news is that it falls on a Wednesday. I'm filling up quite nicely
for the weekend before. I hope to fill my Jacuzzi's on the 14th, but the
other rooms will probably have single business travelers (if anyone at
all). I'm sure that people who don't plan well will be calling late for
the weekend after. Does anyone have any mid-week holiday ideas to fill
rooms besides some sort of discount?
Bedbreakfasthome.com
Anyone with any experience with bedbreakfasthome.com?
Guestroom Size
We're in the process of making remodeling decisions to convert our rambler
into a B&B. This is a rural community that mainly attracts leisure
travelers as well as visiting friends and families. We would appreciate
your observations on whether guest rooms of a certain size tend to be
more in demand. I am referring to square footage, not bed size. Do people
ask about room size before deciding to book? Does the size of your rooms
seem to affect which rooms get booked more frequently?
What Do People Want to Drink?
We just got our license for hard liquor in the mail. We have a very upscale,
full-service restaurant and have had a license to sell beer and wine for
years. Now that we can sell hard liquor does anyone out there have any
ideas as to what sells? Do you sell a lot of things like strawberry daiquiris,
or just the basic scotch and soda? Any ideas as to how to maximize the
revenues/profits from the investment we just made in this license would
be greatly appreciated.
Decorating Tips for Small (10x10) Guest Sleeping Rooms
When I was considering buying this place, there were two small rooms that
looked exceptionally small to me. I had my doubts about them. I even considered
adjoining them with a door to make a two-room suite. Well, I kept them
as two separate rentable rooms each with their own bath (yes, small).
They rent well when folks are visiting relatives, or just for a one night
stop-over, or people new to B&Bs and are afraid to spend money—gives
them something small to "test" the inn.
hE (High Efficiency) Washer Detergent Preferences
We have a hE washer now that we exclusively use hE detergents for, but
are finding our colors fading. Innstyle recommends Cheer Free which does
not come in an hE formula. We used Cheer Color Guard for hE, but it contains
"brighteners" that can dull colors (as we discovered in a recent
Consumer Reports article). Most top name brands contain brighteners. Do
any of you who own hE washers and need to wash deep colored linens have
any recommendations?
Exchange of Database at PAII Convention
Just wondering if anyone thought this was a good idea. I have a database
of about 1,500 guests. Would anyone be interested in an exchange at the
PAII convention of guest information for marketing purposes...especially
with inns in the northeast US?
RE: Business Guest #9
Check with your State Department of Revenue. I have never heard of a non-profit
being exempt from local sales taxes on lodging. The bottom line here is
that you are the one responsible for paying the tax to the local/state
government. If you don't collect it from the guest, if you don't pay the
state, the state audits you, and says they should have paid the tax then
you pay it! So unless you are 100% sure that the guest does not have to
pay the tax then collect it from them!
Opportunity Knocks—Aspiring Innkeepers
After having 10 great years innkeeping in Angel Fire, NM, we have decided
this will be our last year. We won't be selling our inn at this time,
but my reason for writing is we are in need of B&Bs in Angel Fire!
I hate leaving all our previous guests in the lurch, but must! We are
the only B&B in town, and are 1.5 miles from the ski lifts! There
aren't any homes to re-do as an Inn—we built ours from the ground
up, but there are many lots for sale and opportunity is here for several
B&Bs!
Mattresses: Opinions Please
We are going to be purchasing new mattresses from Innstyle and would like
to get some opinions. We are considering both the Sealy Encore Plush series
and the Dynasty Plush series. Since we understand that both of these mattresses
are sold to commercial establishments only and not retail, we cannot drop
by a showroom to try them out. Thus, we would like to know if any of you
have opinions about these mattresses.
Breakfast in Room vs. Buffet
Planning to open to the public in February. But I'm wrestling with wanting
to serve breakfast in the rooms versus in the dining room. But I don't
want to kid myself with what's involved in it either. I know it's more
time consuming, but I'm thinking it would be more satisfying to me and
the guests. I was thinking of having a breakfast doorknob menu where guests
can select what they want the night before and hang it outside to be picked
up the next morning.
PAII Food Feature:
Asher Rock Guest House's Boursin Eggs with Ham & Asparagus
Let us feature a recipe from your inn!
Please send your submission (and a photo of the dish if available) to
L1simpson@msn.com.
Danielle and Phil Roscher from the Asher Rock Guest House in Grande Prairie,
AB, Canada (www.asherrockgp.com)
offers this delicious recipe. It is best served with fresh fruit salad
and a loaf of Strawberry Bread, Banana Bread, or Multigrain Pumpkin Seed
Bread on the side. Make this recipe your own by changing the type of meat,
bread, or vegetable: There are many options you could choose. Serves 2.
Ingredients
2 Slices of French bread, cut fairly thick
2 Slices of black forest ham
8 Asparagus spears, steamed and buttered
2 Eggs, poached
2 Tbsp of Herb and Garlic Boursin cheese (you can buy it in the deli section)
1-2 Tbsp of heavy cream, coffee cream works fine
1 Tbsp vinegar
Instructions
Everything must be ready to go, as all steps should be done simultaneously.
Boil water for steaming asparagus. Fill frying pan ¾ full with
water, add vinegar and bring to a low boil (for poaching eggs).
Toast bread in toaster. While bread is toasting, drop eggs into water.
Drop asparagus into pot, cover with lid and steam for exactly 3 minutes.
Microwave ham for 1 minute. Mix cheese and cream together and microwave
for 30 sec, stir, microwave for another 30 sec. When toast pops, butter
it and lay on plate. Layer toast, ham, buttered asparagus, egg, and drizzle
cheese over it all.
PAII Pointer:
Fingerprint Patrol
When wiping fingerprints, here are a few shiny surfaces to remember that
are hotspots for frolicking fingers: windows, mirrors, glossy tiles, glass
furniture/doors, metal knobs/handles, kitchen/bathroom fixtures, and gold/silver/brass
anything.
About INNfo
INNfo is published weekly. Annual subscription is included in the price of membership.
Publisher
Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII)
Editor-in-Chief
Stacey Bleistein
Production Coordinator
Laura Middleton
Editorial Staff
Pam Horovitz, Stacey Bleistein, Karen Hudgeons, Laura Middleton, Jeanine
Zeman
Editorial Suggestions and Contributions
Editorial comments and suggestions are welcomed. In addition, if you have
a suggestion or would like to contribute news and announcements for
INNfo, please contact INNfo’s Editor-in-Chief, Stacey
Bleistein, at 856.310.1102 or stacey@paii.org.
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Editorial Offices
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Title Image Courtesy of Jumping Rocks